Photo released of suspect in slaying of girl at Oakland slumber party

Oakland police released this sketch of the suspect in the July 17 slaying… (Oakland Police Department )

OAKLAND–Police released a sketch Wednesday of a young man suspected of killing an 8-year-old girl earlier this summer while she was at a slumber party at a friend's home.

The slaying of Alaysha Carradine shocked the conscience of a community otherwise numbed by a steep homicide rate.

The suspect is described as a 17- to 24-year-old black male, 5-feet-7, 160 pounds with a thin, dark mustache. He was wearing a black hooded jacket and blue jeans. The investigation is ongoing, said Oakland Police Department spokeswoman Johnna Watson.

According to family members, the suspect knocked on the door of the Oakland home at 11:18 p.m. July 17, and as Alaysha, her 7-year-old friend and the friend’s 4-year-old brother approached the door, it was sprayed by gunfire.

Alaysha died and the other children were wounded, as was their 64-year-old grandmother.

Oakland officials rallied around the family, and residents have contributed to several funds established to assist them.

Alaysha was an aspiring child model beloved by her family, who called her “ladybug.”

Less than a month after her slaying, a 1-year-old boy was shot and killed along with his father as the pair slept on the floor of another home that was sprayed with gunfire from outside.

Anyone with information on Alaysha's slaying is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department Major Crimes Section-Homicide at (510) 238-3821 or call the tip line at (510) 777-2805.